


Amy, An Angel, and Averting the Apocalypse

by Noturbaby



Category: Doctor Who, Supernatural
Genre: Episode: s05e04 The End, Gen, Supernatural Crossover Big Bang Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-02
Updated: 2012-06-02
Packaged: 2017-11-06 14:57:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/420158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noturbaby/pseuds/Noturbaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a fan of Carver Edlund's Supernatural series, Amy is disappointed that the author ended the book series with Dean in hell. The Doctor, feeling guilty over Rory's death/disappearance from existance, takes Amy to meet the author. Seemed simple enough, meet the author, ask him why he left Dean in hell.<br/>Nothing is ever simple with the Doctor, as he and Amy find themselves immersed in Zachariah's plot to send Dean to 2014 so that the hunter says yes to Michael. It's up to the Doctor and Amy to set things right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 2012 sncross_bigbang. Beta'd by Grumpywinter and Amazing Art by Patchedfox. (see it here : http://patchedfox.livejournal.com/2320.html?view=2320#t2320) Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners BBC and Kripke enterprises et al. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is .  
> I've never written for Doctor Who before, so I'm a bit nervous.

**June 2010**

The Doctor was despondent. He spent his day sulking and his night brooding.

Rory was gone, forgotten forever. Worse actually, Rory had never existed and it was all the Doctor's fault. Beautiful, sweet, loyal Rory, gone. And Amy, Amy Pond, the girl who waited, Rory's fiancé, had completely forgotten him. The Doctor wondered how he could have let that happen.

Amy should never forgive him, yet Amy had no idea he had done anything that needed forgiving. If Amy could just be angry, if she would just lash out at him, the Doctor would feel so much better.

Taking her to meet Van Gogh was a disaster. Well, not a disaster exactly, but Amy was still sad they hadn't prevented Van Gogh's suicide. The Doctor needed another way to return the smile to Amy's face.

The Doctor took Amy home to Leadworth, only to have become perfectly clear that 'home' wasn't the balm for the wound Amy didn't know she had.

Instead, it became a chance for Amy to gather a few of her favorite belongings to join her on the TARDIS. The Doctor picked at things in Amy's room, examining each, then returning it to the spot he thought it should belong rather than from where he took it. Clapping his hands together he asked, "All right Miss Pond, where would you like to go? When would like to go? Who would you like to meet?"

Amy dropped the blouse she was folding. "I don't know, Doctor, it's hard to narrow it down when I can choose from all of space and time."

"Yes, I suppose it is," the Doctor replied distractedly. He was staring at Amy's book shelf. "Why do you have so many books that are all the same?"

With a quick roll of the eyes Amy said, "They're not the same, Doctor, they're a series."

"Oh! Like _Harry Potter_. That Rowling, she's a fun one."

"You know J.K. Rowling? Wait, of course you do," Amy mumbled to herself. "Well, I wish you knew that guy."

The Doctor pulled a book from the shelf. " _Supernatural: Asylum_ by Carver Edlund?"

"Yeah. I'd like to give him a piece of my mind. I bought all these books only to have it end in that rubbish."

The Doctor looked at her questioningly, waiting for her to explain.

"He lets the hero die."

"It's called tragedy, Amy, people die, unfortunately."

"I know that, Doctor, but that's not what happens in these books. In these stories, something always happens to stop it, to save them. Here," knowing she can't explain it in a way for the Doctor to understand, Amy grabbed a book from the shelf. "In this one, he almost dies from electrocution, but they find a healer. Here," she grabs another book, "in that one, he nearly died from car wreck, but the father makes a deal with a demon and saves him. Here, this one," she handed him another book, "Sam dies, but Dean makes a deal and brings him back. And, here," one more book on the pile, "Dean dies like a hundred times, and in the morning comes back. Well, that was a trickster."

Amy grabbed the last book from the shelf. "But this one, he doesn't just die, he goes to hell! How is that right? How can Mr. Edlund have them get out of it every other time but not this one? And believe me; Dean doesn't deserve to go to hell, certainly not for saving his brother's life." Amy paused in her rant to look at the Doctor who was both shocked and amused by Amy's vitriol. "You think I'm being silly."

"No, Amy, it's sweet that you care so deeply about a fictional character," he replied hoping not to sound condescending.

"Well, he saved a lot of people and sacrificed so much, he didn't deserve to go to hell."

"All right, Miss Pond, you've convinced me. Let's go meet this Mr. Edlund and have him explain himself."

"Really, Doctor? Why would you do that?" Amy asked, though she smiled at the idea.

"Because we can," the Doctor answered, though the return of Amy's smile was reason enough for him.

* * *

Aboard the TARDIS, Amy handed the Doctor her battered copy of No Rest for the Wicked. "Here you go," she said, adding nervously, "I can't believe you're doing this."

The Doctor turned the book over several times in his hands. "Carver Edlund." He thumbed the pages, flipping through them. "This Dean charactor, he goes to hell?" he asked as he set the book on one of the TARDIS' many scanners.

"Yes, Doctor that's how the series ends. Hell hounds have torn him apart and he's on these grotesque meat hooks in hell."

The Doctor was too busy reading the screen before him to pay attention to Amy. "Hmm, just as I suspected, Carver Edlund does not exist."

"What? He most certainly does. He's written several books. He -"

"Pseudonym, Amy. Carver Edlund doesn't exist, but the author does." He twisted a few more knobs and spun around. "Chuck Shurley is the name of the man with the answers we want."

"Ooh – kay. Where do we find Mr. Shurley?"

The Doctor spun to face her. "That is where this gets really interesting, Amy." He rubbed his hands together as he grinned mischievously. "Our friend, Mr. Shurley, is a bit of an anomaly. It appears that he is in two places at once. And, even better, he's in two time lines at once."

"What? Doctor, how is that even possible?"

"I don't know Amy, but what do you say we find out?"

* * *

**2014 Camp Chitaqua**

Dean Winchester was slowly becoming conscious. Slowly being his choice. He didn't know where he was, or who hit him or why. All he knew was he was handcuffed and it was 2014 and that Zachariah said he'd be here a few days. The angel wanted Dean to see what happens to the world if he continued to say "no" to Michael. When he finally opened his eyes, he found himself across the room. "What the hell?" he muttered.

2014Dean looked over. "I should be asking that." He approached his hostage. "In fact, why don't you tell me why I shouldn't gank you right here?"

"You'd only be hurting yourself," Dean quipped.

2014Dean glared. "Funny. I know you're not a demon or a shape-shifter, but I need you to come clean about this uncanny resemblance we've got."

"Zachariah."

"The angel? Where is he?"

"I don't know where he is. He zapped me here so I can see how shitty the world is now."

They studied each other for a moment, finally allowing the smallest bit of trust for the other.

2014Dean leaned back. "Croatoan virus. It's efficient, it's incurable, and it's scary as hell. Turns people into monsters. Started hitting the major cities about two years ago. World really went in the crapper after that."

Dean nodded his understanding. "What about Sam?"

2014Dean swallowed. "Heavyweight showdown in Detroit. From what I understand, Sam didn't make it."

Dean didn't believe his ears. "You weren't with him?"

"No. No, me and Sam, we haven't talked in—hell, five years," 2014Dean admitted with a touch of sadness underlying his cold demeanor.

Dean felt the loss instantly. "We never tried to find him?"

2014Dean turned his back and grabbed some keys from a hook. "I don't have time to explain everything now. I've got an errand to run. When I get back, I'll show you why you have to say yes."

"You're just going to leave me here?"

2014Dean looked at his younger self with contempt. "Yes. I got a camp full of twitchy trauma survivors out there with an apocalypse hanging over their head. The last thing they need to see is a version of The Parent Trap. So, yeah, you stay locked down."

* * *

The moment he was alone, Dean began to scratch at a nail in the floor. Just over an hour later, he escaped the cuffs and made his way out of the cabin.

He nearly crashed into Chuck as he made his way around camp. "Dean, we're running low on some essential supplies. We need..."

"Hey, Chuck, um, yeah, about that, I'll deal with it later. Is Cas still around?"

Chuck stared at Dean, knowing something was off about the man, but unable to put his finger on it. "Aren't you supposed to be on some mission?"

"I'm leaving after I talk to Cas. Where is he again?"

Chuck pointed. "In his cabin. I doubt he'll be leaving any time soon."

* * *

Just outside Camp Chitaqua, the TARDIS landed with its usual grace. The Doctor threw open the door and Amy looked around the desolate landscape. "Are you sure this is right, Doctor?"

"Amy! Of course I'm sure. How could you ask that?"

"Oh, I don't know, Doctor. I remember a trip to Rio that never quite happened. And this doesn't look like what I thought America would look like."

"Well, Miss Pond, I have been to America before and this is exactly what it looks like." After a quick scan with his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor said, "Yes, Amy. 2014. Camp Chitaqua. Chuck Shurley is around here somewhere." Seeing two people ahead of them, the Doctor called out, "Hello, there. Could you tell me where we can find Chuck Shurley?"

The couple turned and Amy and the Doctor found guns being pointed at them. "Doctor they have guns. I don't like guns," Amy mumbled in a panic.

"It's America, Amy, everybody has a gun," he whispered to her before calling out again, "Hello, no need to aim those at us. It's just me, the Doctor, and Amy."

The gun toting Americans raised their weapons; the woman cocked hers. "Stop right there."

"Stopping," Amy and the Doctor replied in unison, raising their hands in surrender.

With a wave of her gun, the woman directed her partner to approach them. He looked both of them in the eye and then squinted at the Doctor. "Christo."

"Christo?" The Doctor squinted back at the man. "Odd greeting even for Americans."

However, Amy's eyes became huge with excitement. "Christo! Why are you saying Christo? We're not demons."

The Doctor laughed. "Demons? You think we're demons? Nooo, I'm the Doctor and this is Amy." He reached into his coat pocket, but was stopped by the man cocking his gun. "Oh, sorry, just getting my identification." He looked beyond the man to the woman, who was obviously in charge and repeated in a louder voice so she could hear, "Just getting my identification!" He held out his psychic papers.

The man looked impressed but only said, "Come with me, Doctor"

The woman however, stopped them with a stern look at the man who explained, "They're British intelligence. He's a doctor. They're here to see Chuck."

The woman's brow cocked in disbelief. "British Intelligence?" She handed them a canteen. "Drink this."

Amy took it with glance to the Doctor. He deftly scanned it with his sonic and pronounced it, "Water." Amy drank some and handed it to the Doctor.

"What's this about, saying 'Christo' and making us drink water? Is that Holy water?" Amy asked.

"Making sure you're not a Croat," the woman answered plainly and waved them by.

Amy and the Doctor exchanged confused looks but followed the man to the main camp.

"There, that's Chuck."

"That man there, the scruffy looking one?" the Doctor asked, pointing to Chuck.

"Yep, that's him. Shoulda known he'd have contacts in high places."

**#*#*#*#*#**

Amy grinned and nearly ran to the prophet. "Chuck? Chuck Shurley?"

"Yeah?" He instantly regretted answering. He wondered who was going to complain now. He held up a hand to prevent the question he knew he'd be asked. "It's your responsibility to ration your own toilet paper. I can't give you any more."

"That's quite all right. We're set with our toiletries," the Doctor replied.

Amy impatiently demanded, "Chuck? Are you the Chuck Shurley that writes the Supernatural books?"

"Yes, I am. I mean I was." He studied them for a minute wondering if he was actually hearing an English accent or if he was delusional. "I don't write those books anymore." For a moment, he squinted at them; they were new refugees, very unusual.

"We know you don't write any more," the Doctor replied. "That's why we're here. We want to know why you stopped writing. We need to know what happened next."

Chuck gaped at them, bewildered. "What happened next? It's the apocalypse and you want to know about some books I wrote years ago?"

"I knew something was off about this place," the Doctor said as he looked around.

Amy worried slightly at Chuck's words. "The apocalypse?"

Chuck looked at them like they were from Mars, "Yeah, the – what did you think was going on?"

The Doctor scanned the area with his sonic as he looked around. "Couldn't say for sure. Been a while since I've been to America, but something is definitely off."

With everything he's seen Chuck couldn't worry about every odd event. "Well, welcome back. You picked a hell of a time to visit. Where are you from? England? I thought London fell months ago."

"Doctor, what's he talking about?"" Amy spoke under her breath.

"I don't know for sure," he answered quietly before turning to Chuck. "What do you mean London fell? Fell how?"

"To the Croats. You know, the demon infection?"

They continued to follow Chuck, but Amy grabbed the Doctor's arm. "Croats? Croatoan? That's real? The Croatoan virus is real?"

Chuck stopped walking. "Of course it's real. It was the first step in Lucifer's plan."

Amy squeezed the Doctor's arm tighter, attempting to remain calm, and whispered, "Lucifer?"

Patiently, the Doctor took Amy's hand off his arm and explained, "Lucifer was an angel..."

"I know who Lucifer is Doctor," she snapped at him. Taking a breath, she looked around. "Chuck, all those stories you wrote about Sam and Dean, those weren't real, were they?"

The Doctor scoffed, "Amy don't be silly. Those are fictional stories. They could only be real if the Sam and Dean in the books were Sam and Dean Winchester and this Chuck Shurley was Chuck Shurley the prophet." The Doctor stopped his ramble for a moment and quickly scanned the rather exasperated scruffy man with them. "Oh."

"OH?" Amy shouted at him. "Oh? I find out all that was real and that he's a prophet and all you say is 'Oh'?"

* * *

Dean quietly entered Castiel's cabin and found the angel sitting with several women in a circle on the floor. When Castiel spotted Dean, he groaned internally. "Excuse me, ladies. I think I need to confer with our fearless leader for a minute. Why not go get washed up for the orgy?" As the women began to leave, Cas reminded them, "You're all so beautiful." Then he stood and stretched his back, grunting.

Dean stared at the angel in disbelief. "What are you, a hippie?"

Castiel rolled his eyes as he rolled his neck. "I thought you'd gotten over trying to label me."

Dean nervously crossed the room, knowing something was wrong with Cas but didn't know what to do about it. "Cas, we've got to talk."

Castiel took a long look at Dean. "Whoa. Strange."

"What?"

Castiel approached Dean carefully. "You...are not you. Not now you, anyway."

Relieved, Dean practically shouted, "No! Yeah. Yes, exactly."

"What year are you from?"

"2009."

"Who did this to you? Was it Zachariah?"

"Yes."

Castiel's only response was a calm, "Interesting."

Dean couldn't believe that was Cas' reply. "Oh, yeah, it's friggin' fascinating. Now. Why don't you strap on your angel wings and fly me back to my page on the calendar?"

"I wish I could just, uh, strap on my wings," Castiel said with a sheepish grin, "but I'm sorry, no dice."

Finally, Dean took a long look at FutureCastiel. "Wait, are you stoned?"

"Uh, generally, yeah."

Dean wiped a hand wearily over his face. "What's going on—w-with the drugs and the orgies and the love-guru crap?"

Castiel shrugged. "Life. I'm not an angel anymore."

"What? What happened to you?"

The former angel smirked, "Yeah, I went mortal."

"What do you mean? How?"

Castiel handed Dean a glass containing his homemade alcohol. "I think it had something to do with the other angels leaving. But when they bailed, my mojo just kind of— psshhew!—drained away. And now, you know, I'm practically human. I mean, Dean, I'm all but useless. Last year, broke my foot, laid up for two months."

"Wow. That sucks, but, well, welcome to the club." He raised his glass in a toast.

Castiel accepted with a nod. "Thanks. Except I used to belong to a much better club."

* * *

Chuck took a few steps away from Amy and the Doctor. It had been years since he met a fan and this was not looking to end well. "Uh, if you don't mind, I'm really busy."

Amy grabbed his arm. "If that was real, all those things that happen to Sam and Dean, that was real?"

"'Fraid so?" Chuck shrugged meekly.

"You sent him to hell? You let Dean go to hell? How could you do that?" Amy demanded, slapping Chuck's arm with each word and looking more threatening than the Doctor had ever seen her.

"He-he made the deal. It's not like I had any control over -"

Amy slapped Chuck's arm again. "You could have stopped him!"

The Doctor pulled Amy back with a worried look to the sky. "Amy! Stop! Don't hurt him."

"Don't hurt him? After what he did to the -" Amy noticed the Doctor's anxious look. "Doctor what's wrong?"

"There should be an angel," he said, now with more curiosity than concern.

"Angel?" Amy asked in alarm, looking around for a statue.

The Doctor ignored her and turned his attention to Chuck. "Why is there no angel? Where is your angel?"

"Angel? There are no more angels. Oh, do you mean Cas?" Chuck turned, grateful to get away from the angry red head, "Last I saw Cas, he was in his cabin." Chuck pointed to where Dean and Cas were stepping out of a cabin.

* * *

"I wish I could help you, Dean, but I'm mostly powerless," Castiel said as he walked with Dean. "I'm hapless, I'm hopeless. I mean, why the hell not bury myself in women and decadence, right? It's the end, baby. That's what decadence is for."

"Well, I'm glad you finally took off the trench coat and got laid, but I could really use 2009Cas right about now."

Cas laughed. "Tell you what. Join in the orgy later, it's the least I can do," Cas stopped talking and grabbed Dean's arm when he saw who was with Chuck. "Whoa."

"'Whoa' what?"

Cas nodded in Chuck's direction. "Them. That couple by Chuck. They're not from here either. Believe me; I would have noticed that red head and a man in a bow tie."

Dean took a moment to study the couple, and then shook his head. "Holy tax accountant is now the fashion police. Awesome." But, he knew that even a stoned Cas would know if the 'red head and a skinny guy in a bow tie' were strangers to the camp.

Dean took a deep breath. The couple had to be part of what Zack wanted to teach him. "Better see what they want," he said to Cas.

Cas smiled. "This day keeps getting more interesting."

**#*#*#*#*#**

Amy and the Doctor looked to where Chuck pointed and again Amy sighed in exasperation. "That's Dean?" Amy demanded after staring at the hunter for a minute. "That. That man is Dean? The Dean from your books?"

"Yeah, that's Dean."

Suddenly, Amy lit up. "If that's Dean, he's out of hell! Doctor, he's... how is he out of hell?"

"Well," Chuck began, "after he had been there for-"

When she saw Dean starting to walk over, Amy quietly interrupted him. "You may be a prophet, but you're terrible at descriptions." Seeing that Chuck looked offended, Amy continued her argument, "For starters, you called him the short one."

"He is shorter than Sam," Chuck mumbled.

"Hey, Chuck, what's going on?" Dean asked as he cautiously approached. "Don't you think you should introduce your friends?"

The prophet began to stammer, "They, they're not..."

"What Chuck is trying to say is we're not his friends, she's his fan. I'm the Doctor. She's Amy Pond, and we're here to see what happened to you," the Doctor answered Dean, though he was becoming more fascinated by Cas as he spoke. "Well, you're an interesting chap, aren't you?"

Cas tilted his head and stared at the Doctor, reminding Dean of his angel for the first time since he met this version. "You make me wish I was sober."

Amused, the Doctor asked, "Are you drunk?"

"Stoned," Cas replied.

The Doctor laughed, "Oh my, that must have taken quite a bit to accomplish."

Cas shrugged, "Not as much as it used to."

Amy cleared her throat. "Doctor."

Immediately, the Doctor stepped back. "Right, sorry. We just popped in to ask Chuck why he let you go to hell."

"He didn't let me do anything. I made a deal with a demon to save my brother," Dean began to explain. "But, who are you exactly?"

"Well, obviously you didn't really go to hell, because you're here now." Amy paused and her eyes widened incredibly as she looked at the serious expressions of the men around her. "Wait, you really did go to hell?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah. But -"

Amy didn't let him finish. "And, Chuck, you said this was the apocalypse?"

Chuck nodded, "Yeah."

Amy spun to the Doctor in distress. "That means this is The Apocalypse, Doctor! What are we going to do? Can we stop it?"

"Amy," the Doctor soothed, "don't worry, of course we can stop it. We always stop it. We'll stop this one, too." Then the Doctor turned to Chuck. "Alright, Chuck, how do we stop it? You're the prophet, what's the plan?"

"I, I don't have a plan. Dean has the plan."

Dean looked from Chuck to Cas to Amy. "I, I don't have a plan. I -"

#*#*#*#*#

Dean was interrupted by the arrival of two jeeps. They watched as the passengers climbed from the vehicles and popped open some beer cans. Chuck and Amy did several double takes between the two Deans.

As 2014Dean aimed a gun at one of his men, Dean yelled, "Watch out!"

But, 2014Dean fired the gun, killing the man instantly.

The camp residents in the immediate area looked between the two Deans.

2014Dean gritted his teeth. "Damn it." He turned to his men. "I'm not gonna lie to you. Me and him—It's a pretty messed-up situation we've got going. But believe me, when you need to know something, you will know it. Until then, we all have work to do."

As 2014Dean approached the small group, Cas snickered. "Look at you. You are so mad. It would be funny if it wasn't so... no, actually it is funny."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" 2014Dean growled.

Dean glared back at him as he left the others and met his future self half-way. "Me? What the hell are you doing? You just shot a guy in cold blood."

2014Dean looked towards the new comers for a second; he'd deal with them in a minute. First, he had to deal with his 2009 self. Before he answered his younger version's question, he grabbed Dean's arm, and dragged him towards his cabin, "We were in an open quarantine zone. Got ambushed by some Croats on the way out. One of them infected Yeager."

"How do you know?" Dean asked sounding less demanding than he did before.

2014Dean sighed. "'Cause after a few years of this, I know. I started seeing symptoms about a half an hour ago. Wasn't gonna be long before he flipped. I didn't see the point in troubling a good man with bad news."

Dean couldn't believe his ears. "'Troubling a good man'? You just blew him away in front of your own people! Don't you think that freaked them out a little bit?"

"It's 2014. Plugging some Croat, it's called commonplace," 2014Dean explained. "Trading words with my friggin' clone – that might have freaked them out a little."

"All right, look –," Dean began.

"No, you look," 2014Dean ground out. "This isn't your time. It's mine. You don't make the decisions. I do. So, when I say stay in, you stay in."

"All right, man. I'm sorry. Look, I—I'm not trying to mess you—me—us up here."

"I know," 2014Dean grudgingly admitted.

Dean saw the difference in his future self. "What was the mission, anyway?"

2014Dean's attention was on Amy and the Doctor. "In a sec, who are those two? Where'd they come from? We don't get tourists, you know?"

"Um, I don't know, really. They're friends of Chuck's, fans actually."

"Yeah, I don't think so," 2014Dean replied.

**#*#*#*#*#**

"Hey," he called to get their attention. "Who are you? How did you get here?"

Chuck held out his hand in an 'after you' gesture and the Doctor and Amy headed towards the Deans. "Uh, Dean, this is Amy and, uh, the the -"

"This is Amy Pond and I am the Doctor. We were here to meet Chuck. But," he paused and pointed between the Deans. "There are two of you. Why are there two of you? Chuck?" He turned to the prophet.

Chuck stammered, "I – I d don't know."

"Zachariah, the angel, did it," Dean answered, earning a glare from his future self.

"Another angel?" Amy shuddered. "I hate angels." she took a furtive look around.

"You and me both, sister." Dean huffed a laugh and cut his eyes to Castiel. "No offense."

Castiel shrugged, "None taken."

Amy looked Cas over. "You're no angel."

He swayed drunkenly as he turned to her. "No'm not. Not anymore."

The Doctor studied the Deans. "All right. Two of you. That's not right at all. There shouldn't be two. Why are there two? What is the angel trying to accomplish?"

"He wants me to see -" Dean began but is cut off by a harsh look from his future self.

"Doesn't matter," 2014Dean growled. He turned to Cas. "Did anybody bother to test these two?"

Cas shrugged. Chuck pointed over his shoulder. "They passed Risa and Don. I'm sure they tested..."

"Oh, yes, holy water, Christo, the whole thing," Amy replied nervously nodding.

2014Dean gave them another once over before pulling a gun on the Doctor

The Doctor squinted at the gun 2014Dean was holding. "Is that, is that Samuel Colt's gun?" He took a step forward but was immediately pulled back by Amy.

"What do you know about the Colt?" Dean demanded.

"What do I know? What don't I know!" The Doctor looked around, then lowered his voice and asked, "Why? What do you know about it?"

Amy looked between the men who had all decided it was best to stay silent. She took a breath and began, "Back in 1835, when Halley's Comet was overhead, Samuel Colt made a gun. A special gun."

"That gun can kill anything," Dean added.

"No, it can't." The Doctor dismissed Dean and turned to Amy gushing, "Halley's Comet? Really? Is that what – oh what 'til I tell her that!"

"Tell who what?" Dean asked.

"This is the last time I ask," a very frustrated 2014Dean growled as he aimed the Colt. "What are you and what are you doing here?"

The Doctor ignored him, still giddy over the 'comet' comment. "That was no comet. That was the TARDIS."


	2. Chapter 2

Amy's eyes became saucers. "The TARDIS! You! You made that gun with Colt?"

This was more than 2014Dean could take. "Enough! Everybody inside my cabin until I figure this out." He waved the gun to direct them indoors. There was no need for the entire camp to witness this mess.

**#*#*#*#**

Looking far calmer than he was feeling, 2014Dean kept the Colt in his hand as he poured himself and his other self a drink. Castiel looked expectantly at him, but 2014Dean shook his head. "You've had enough." The angel rolled his eyes but didn't argue. 2014Dean looked at Chuck. "I may need you sober for this, so yours is going to wait." He took a satisfyingly large sip, before he spoke again. "Amy, it's Amy, isn't it?" The sole female in the room nodded. "And you're a friend of Chuck's, right?"

Both Chuck and Amy said, "No."

"I've read all the books," Amy added quietly.

2014Dean gave her a tight smile. "Right, the books. Amy, could you go stand by Chuck? Just for a second?"

Amy glanced at the Doctor, who gave her a reassuring nod, so Amy reluctantly did as 2014Dean asked.

2014Dean once again aimed the Colt at the Doctor. "I have been looking for this gun for more than five years. The day I find it, the day I get it back in my hands, you show up and tell me you were there when Colt made it. I don't know what you are, but only a demon could have told you I'd get the gun today, and nothing human could still be around from Colt's time." 2014Dean's eyes narrowed and again he cocked the gun.

"Dean, don't," Cas said stepping forward.

The Doctor didn't look concerned. "Oh, that can't kill me," he said with a practiced nonchalance. "And it won't kill Lucifer, either. That **is** what you're planning, isn't it? Killing him with the Colt? Won't work. He's an angel, an archangel to be precise. To kill him, you need an archangel's sword."

"What?" the Deans said in unison (making fan-girl Amy smile.)

Ticking them off on his finger, the Doctor repeated, "Lucifer, archangel, archangel's sword. The Colt is useless against him."

The Deans exchanged hopeless looks. "Dammit."

"That's just fan-fuckin'tastic. Where am I going to get an archangel's sword?" 2014Dean demanded.

"Don't need one. You have me," Doctor said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dean asked.

"It means this isn't the only possible time line. History can be rewritten."

Dean's mouth fell open in awe. "Are you saying you can go back in time and stop all of this? You can stop the Apocalypse from happening?"

"We've tried that. It didn't work." 2014Dean asked, "And why am I supposed to trust you to set all this straight?"

"Because I'm the Doctor."

"That means nothing to me." 2014Dean's eyes narrowed as he trained the Colt on the Doctor.

Amy went to stand between them, but Cas and Dean held her back.

The Doctor stepped closer to 2014Dean. "And you mean nothing to me. You might be nothing more than a figment of a delusional angel's mind. You might only exist because he is using you to force this Dean, the real Dean Winchester, to do his bidding." He leaned closer and spoke so only this Dean could hear, "You know I'm right."

2014Dean set the Colt down and let defeat wash over him. For five years that gun was his one hope. He had lost so much of himself to obtain it, and all of it was for nothing.

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief when the Colt was no longer aimed at him. Keeping up his brave front, he rubbed his hands together. "All right, then. Before we get this mess sorted, tell me, why are there two of you? And what does that have to do with angels?"

The Deans looked at each other. 2014Dean shook his head and gave the floor to 2009 Dean. "Well, it's like this. I started the apocalypse -"

"Dean," Cas quietly reprimanded, though he was dismissed with a look.

"While I was in hell, I broke the first seal on Lucifer's cage. Eventually, Sammy broke the last seal when he killed Lilith." Guilt caused him to pause a moment. "At first, the angels were trying to stop the seals from being broken. Later, they changed their minds; they decided they wanted the end to come. They realized I was the tool they needed to defeat Luci. I was Michael's meat suit and -"

"Meat suit?" Amy asked, interrupting him.

Cas understood her confusion. "Like demons, angels need to 'possess' a human in order to interact on this plane. But, we need to be invited or allowed in; we can't forcibly take control of a person."

"Okay, so you're possessing someone right now?" Amy asked him

"No. This vessel's soul has been gone for a long time."

The Doctor looked at Dean for clarification. "And you're Michael's, the archangel Michael's, vessel?"

Dean sighed, "Yeah."

"Why won't you say 'yes'?" Amy asked.

Both Deans looked stricken by her question. Why didn't they say 'yes'? It would save so much...

"Because Michael and Lucifer would destroy the planet while they attempted to destroy each other," the Doctor answered for them. "It was mere luck Michael won the last time. Then Lucifer was strong, but he still had a sliver of self-doubt in him. Now, he's had eons to brood and stew in his self-righteous anger, and it's Michael who has the doubt."

The Doctor turned his attention to 2014Dean. "You say you went back in time to try to stop the apocalypse?"

"Yeah. Didn't work, obviously."

"No, no it didn't. What point in time did you travel to?"

2014Dean looked at Castiel. "Back when Cas was full on angel, he sent me back to 1973, to when my mom made the deal with the yellow eyed demon."

"No! No, that doesn't make any sense!" The Doctor addressed Castiel, next. "Why would you send him back to a fixed point in time? He wouldn't have been able to change anything! Mary Campbell's deal couldn't have been prevented. What was the point?"

The Doctor's anger surprised everyone. Castiel nearly cowered, but Dean spoke up to defend his angel. "Cas was following orders. I was supposed to see what Azazel did to my family, and maybe figure out why."

2014Dean looked at his younger self a moment while he tried to remember details from five years ago. "There's another time we, Sam and I, go back to see our parents." He turned to the Doctor. "In 1978, an angel was sent to kill them."

Dean looked at Castiel in horror and confusion, but 2014Dean continued. "We even tried to convince Mom to leave Dad so we'd never be born."

The Doctor began to interrupt, "But, that wouldn't -"

"Yeah, she was already pregnant. We couldn't change a thing."

Amy saw the effect of 2014Dean's admission on the younger Dean and gave his arm a comforting squeeze. "Doctor, there is a way to stop this, right?" She looked at her friend with such hope, the others in the room wanted to believe her.

The Doctor tried to look reassuring. "Of course Amy, we just need the right moment in time."

"Dean," Chuck said quietly making both Deans turn to him. "Uh, that Dean," he said pointing to 2014Dean, "Dean, it's dusk. We have to get camp ready for the night."

"Right. Gotta protect us right now if we're going to try to save the world later." 2014Dean nodded then addressed the others. "You guys should stay here. Try to figure out the time deal. Cas, Chuck and I will help the others secure the camp. We'll be back here in a bit."

**#*#*#*#***

Once they left, Dean scoured the cabin for food and water. Pulling open a small cooler, he asked, "Thirsty? He's got water." The Doctor waved him off, but Amy nodded. Handing her the bottle, Dean gave Amy with a sad, fond smile. "Sorry for all this"

"For all what?" she asked, looking truly confused at his apology.

He suddenly found the label of his water bottle very interesting as he couldn't bring himself to look at her. Exhaling, he said, "You know, for letting the world end like this. For disappointing you. I'm sure you were expecting a lot more from the _Dean_ of Chuck's books but you got stuck with me, instead."

Amy smoothed a hand over his forearm to reassure him. "Shut up. I'm not the least bit disappointed. And this isn't real, remember? Some arse of an angel is doing this."

"Still, my fault it gets as bad as..."

"None of that. I hate to break it to you, but the world doesn't end this way. This whole apocalypse is averted somehow."

Dean smirked, amused by her reply. "Really? You have any idea how we manage to do that?"

Amy smiled and leaned into his side. "No. But, I've been to 2010 and 2020, and none of this has happened."

Dean considered that for a moment. "So we figure it out?"

She squeezed his arm. "Of course you do. You and Sam are heroes."

 

The Doctor hadn't really been listening to them, but at the mention of Sam, he spoke up. "Where is Sam?"

Dean shook his head. "I don't know. The me from now said he was in a big showdown in Detroit and didn't make it."

Amy gasped.

The Doctor nodded. "Right. Where is he in your time? At the moment you left, where was he?"

"I don't know. We kinda split up. He wanted out of the job. Said he couldn't trust himself anymore."

The Doctor brightened. "That explains a lot. The angel Zachariah was able to construct this time line, because if you and your brother continue on the same path you're on in '09, this is where you'll end up!"

He smiled so gleefully, Amy thought he had found the answer. "So, what are you saying Doctor? We send Dean back, he and Sam work together again and this is all prevented?"

"No, not at all, Amy. Lucifer will still be running around loose. We must change an event that occurs from before he is released from hell."

Dean gave Amy a look that said obviously and she gave him a small laugh in return. "Well, Doc, you have any idea which event that would be?" Dean asked trying not to sound ungrateful.

"Not a clue. But, it shouldn't be too difficult once we rule out all the dates in your life that were predetermined by destiny."

"I don't believe in destiny. If I did, I would have said 'yes' to Michael and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

The Doctor clapped his hands together. "That's the spirit, Dean! Today is exactly the kind of day I'm looking for. It was certainly not predetermined that Zachariah would send you here. Or that Amy would want to meet Chuck and bring us to this exact moment."

"Doctor," Amy spoke up. "Didn't you say Chuck was in two time lines and in two places? How is that possible?"

"It's a big ball of wibbly, wobbly, timey, wimey stuff." The Doctor looked around for something to help him explain their predicament. Seeing one of the many containers of salt, he grabbed one and began to draw a salt line on the table.

"This is Dean's time line. This Dean, the one from 2009," he said pointing to the straight line. Then he drew a line that angled off that line. "This is the time line of the Dean of 2014. The angel is trying to have you, Dean, learn that an event you control here," he pointed to where the angled line began, "affects the course of history here," he said pointing to the other line.

Though the Doctor was quite pleased with his explanation, Dean and Amy looked equally confused. "How am I supposed to know which event? I tried to stop my mom from making her deal. Hell, I even warned her to stay in bed November 2, 1983. None of it changed anything."

"Yes, again, set points in time." The Doctor paused his pacing. "Dean, I'm sorry, your mother had to die. It certainly isn't the most desirable outcome, but if it didn't happen, you and your brother wouldn't have become hunters and you wouldn't have saved all those people."

"I've got it!" Amy said excitedly. "We go to Cold Oak and stop the Yellow-eyed demon before anything happens to Sam."

Hating to crush her hope, Dean turned to the Doctor. "No. Azazel had the Colt and couldn't get to Cold Oak until Sam was dead."

"Think think think." The doctor repeatedly hit his head with the heel of his palm. "When Sam died, you made a deal and brought him back." The doctor dragged his fingers through the salt. "Then you go to hell, break a seal, get out of hell, demons break seals, brother kills Lilith breaking the final seal, and Lucifer is set free." Suddenly, he was transfixed by what he has drawn in the salt.

Amy gave Dean an apologetic look, but felt she had to ask, "What if we stop Dean from making the deal?"

Dean looked at her in shock, but the Doctor answered harshly, "No. Then Sam dies. If Dean breaks the deal Sam dies. I'm not going to let anyone else die!"

Dean studied the Doctor and recognized the guilt that wove through his harsh reply.

Amy was a bit shocked at his tone, but stood her ground. "Well, we've got to think of something."

The slight row was ended by the return of the others. Castiel went straight to the bottle of alcohol and poured himself a generous glass, drank it, and poured another. "What's with him?" Dean asked Chuck.

2014Dean smirked. "The girls had the orgy without him."

"Sorry, man," Dean offered, though he had trouble not smiling.

Cas returned his glass to the table. "Wouldn't be so bad, but with them here," he jerked his head at the Doctor, "that might have been the last one."

"Sorry," Amy said with absolutely no trace of regret.

2014Dean saw the salt all over the table. "What's this?"

"He was explaining how Zack Biff'd the time line," Dean answered. 2014Dean nodded, but everyone else looked confused. " _Back to the Future II_. Biff goes back in time and changes things in his life so that he becomes rich and powerful. Marty McFly then has to go back again and fix everything."

Chuck nodded. "So, we're the time line with the mom marrying Biff."

"Yes," the Deans said in unison.

Seeing the confusion on the faces of Amy and the Doctor, Cas stepped forward. "Yeah, I never got his pop culture references, either. You get used to it."

"Yes, well, whatever this Biff did, it was able to be undone," the Doctor began. "We are looking for the moment in your time line we can undo."

"Can't be stopping Mom that night and can't be her deal," Dean told his older self.

2014Dean nodded in acceptance. "Yeah, I figured that would be the case. So, I thought about it. What if we don't make the deal?"

"What? And let Sam die? No, not an option," Dean growled and for a moment the others in the room thought they were going to have to tear the two Deans apart.

"This whole crap train started because of what we do in hell. We don't make the deal and the whole thing derails."

"Without the deal, Sam dies!" Dean shouted back at himself. "How is that acceptable, man?"

"Saving the planet or saving our brother? Doesn't even compare."

Dean took a step forward, but Amy stepped between them. "Stop. Both of you, stop." She turned to 2014Dean. "How would it be any easier to lose Sam this time around? You couldn't do it before. It's not this version of you that's going back there, this version hasn't happened yet."

Seeing another fault in the plan, Dean asked the Doctor, "What'll happen to Cas?"

"Well, like all of this," the Doctor replied with a wave of his hand, "he'll disappear."

"No, not this Cas, my Cas, from 2009. What happens to him?"

The Doctor pouted in thought. "I'm not sure..."

"Dean," Cas said softly, "I'll still be there."

"No. You didn't come to me until I was in hell. If I don't go to hell, Cas doesn't drag me out of hell, and I don't know him," Dean replied with a bit of exasperation coloring his tone.

 

The room was silent for a moment, and then 2014Dean spoke up. "You, we, don't go to hell, you don't meet Cas. And, yeah, that sucks. But, if you don't go to hell, then Ruby doesn't get her hooks into Sam and I don't want Sam to die any more than you do, but we need to stop Ruby."

"There's got to be a way to stop Ruby without Sam dying," Dean agreed. He looked at Cas and shook his head. "But, man, I don't know. Giving you up isn't going to be easy. Me and Sam have really come to rely on you."

Cas gave him a fond smile for the compliment. "Dean, if we can stop you from going to hell, all those times you called on me for help won't happen. You won't need me."

Dean grimaced bitterly. "Right. I guess."

The Doctor saw the shadow over Dean's features. Just as his companions meant more to him than he could explain, this angel was more than just a resource for the hunter.

Amy suddenly spoke up, "Chuck can fix that. Chuck write that Cas, the good angel, helps save Sam and Dean."

"It doesn't work that way," Dean said with a sad smile.

"What do you mean it doesn't work that way? Hell-o, none of this is supposed to work 'that way'," Amy argued. "We have a time lord, a prophet, one fallen angel, a girl from Scotland and two of you! And we're all here because some angel is angry that you won't play his game. What about 'this' is working the right way?"

The men in the room stare silently at her. "All right then," she said with a curt nod. "Dean wants Cas from 2009 to be around, we'll make sure Cas is around."

"You gonna make sure Sam doesn't die, too?" Dean asked trying not to sound too sarcastic.

"Yes," Amy replied, full of self-assurance.

"How are we going to do that?" the Doctor asked not bothering to hide his amusement.

"I don't know. I'm sure you'll think of something. You always do, it's your thing," Amy said, showing her complete confidence in the Doctor.

"Right. Respect the thing," the Doctor smirked making Amy grin. She knew he'll find a solution.

**#*#*#*#***

In the next minute he did.

"In 2009, you have a cell phone, yeah?"

Dean nodded, "Yeah, of course."

"Has Sam called you on that phone?"

"Yeah, so has Cas."

"Perfect. That is how we will locate them." Turning to the writer, the Doctor asked, "Chuck, how does this prophet thing of yours work, exactly? Do the Winchesters do their thing and then you write it or do you write it and then they do it?"

"Well, I, normally, I would get a bad headache, drink a lot, pass out, and then write. So, first I write, and then Sam and Dean do what I wrote."

Okay, got it. I can work with that." The Doctor rubbed his hands together and grinned with promise. "Amy, how do you feel about being a muse?"

Amy tossed her hair, pursed her lips, a cocked her hip into a provocative pose. "Yeah, I can do that."

Dean couldn't help but appreciate her seductive stance. "She could muse the hell of out me," he muttered under his breath but not quietly enough, for the entire room looked at him. Slightly embarrassed, he changed the subject. "Well, what do we do next, Doctor?"

The Doctor fixed Dean with a look to let him know he didn't like the muttering. "Right, well, we need to determine a point in time that can put you on a new course. So, now, Chuck, I need you to think. At what moment is everything set in motion, all the players are there, but there is still a chance to stop it moving forward?"

Chuck nervously ran a hand over his hair. Oh how he wished he hadn't drank so much. Did it really have to come down to him to save everybody? How was he supposed to remember everything he wrote?

The disheveled prophet paced the room, trying to remember a time that would help the Doctor. "Well, there's _Jus in Bello_. Sam, Dean, and Lilith are in that one."

"Justin who?" Dean asked.

" _Jus in Bello_ ," Amy answered, "it's one of the books. Henricksen has arrested you and Sam and Lilith sends a whole town of demons after you."

The Deans nodded, but Amy was shaking her head. "That won't work, Chuck. Lilith isn't there at the same time. Sam and Dean are with Ruby."

"Did Lilith have my contract for that long?" 2014Dean asked.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't know," Chuck answered. The group fell silent as they dismissed that scenario.

"Well, I know one point in time when everyone is in one spot," Dean said drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"When's that?" the Doctor asked excitedly.

"When the hell-hounds drag me to hell."

"Hell-hounds? Actual hell-hounds?" the Doctor repeated, looking from Dean to Amy who nodded. "Oh dear."

Dean snorted, "Tell me about it."

"What's that exact date?"

"Midnight, May second 2008," the entire room responded.

The response made the Doctor pause. "Okay. Well, there's our date, then. We go to that moment and stop Lilith and her dogs from taking you to hell. If you don't go to hell, you don't break the seal and none of this apocalypse business happens."

"That's a pretty tight window," 2014Dean said. "I mean it's one minute that we know Lilith is in that body and the hell-hounds attack. Are you really that accurate with your time travel?"

"Yes, of course," the Doctor answered confidently.

Amy said nothing but raised a doubtful eyebrow.

The Doctor noticed her doubting brow. "What?"

"Nothing, Doctor, just -" she shrugged not wanting to mention her doubts in front of the others.

The Doctor wasn't put off. "Amy, what is it?"

"Rio, Cwmtaff. Wasn't going to mention it," she answered in a hushed voice.

"But you did," he said quietly.

"You asked," she whispered.

"Care to share with the class?" 2014Dean asked.

"No," both Amy and the Doctor replied.

But, the Doctor relented and explained, "Amy is worried we'll miss our target time. I assure you, we won't. However, now that we have the exact moment, we're going to need a weapon that can kill the Lilith."

"No problem. We've got the Colt," Amy reminded him, picking up the Colt and carelessly waving it at him.

"Yes, problem, Amy!" the Doctor's voice rose nervously and he grabbed the gun from her hands. "Loaded gun, remember? Guns kill people," he said in a quieter voice.

"Not you," Amy said smugly though she felt reprimanded.

"Yes, me."

"But you said -" Dean began.

"I lied," the Doctor interrupted. "Sorry, but future you was pointing the gun at me at the time. Wasn't in the mood for getting shot, all right?"

"Yeah, man, I get it." Dean chuckled a bit then asked, "If the Colt can kill you, can it kill Lucifer?"

"No, sorry. Unfortunately, that part was true," the Doctor replied and handed the treasured gun to Dean. "Besides, that's not the real Colt. That's the Colt from this reality. We need the Colt from your reality."

"Damn. If I had the Colt in my time, we wouldn't be in this mess," Dean sighed.

"If you had the Colt when Lilith sent the hell hounds after you and you went to hell, none of us would be here," Amy reminded him.

Then Cas asked, "Why didn't you have the Colt? When did you lose it?"

"I didn't lose the Colt. Bela stole it -"

"Okay!" the Doctor clapped his hands again and sounded hopeful, "do we know when Bela stole it or what she did with it?"

The Deans shrugged and looked to Amy and Chuck. Chuck's brows furrowed as he thought, and even Amy looked hopeless. The Doctor looked at Castiel for an answer but the angel shook his head. "Don't look at me. I haven't the foggiest idea."

The Doctor stared at Cas for a moment longer. Finally he muttered, "Right then, no Colt to use."

"There's a bigger problem," Dean reminded them. "If I don't go through with the deal, Sam dies."

"Not necessarily," Cas replied. "There is a moment, albeit brief, in which Lilith can be destroyed and both you and Sam live."

The Doctor studied the remains of his salt drawing for a minute, and then suddenly announced, "All right everyone, we should get some rest. Big day tomorrow."

"Big day? Why, what's tomorrow? Are we hunting down Lucifer?" Dean asked.

"No, Dean, tomorrow we stop the apocalypse and save the world."

Surprised and confused looks crossed the room.

"And how the hell are we going to do that, Doctor?" 2014Dean asked.

"Oh, well, simple really. We go back to May 2nd, 2008. Kill the hounds, smite the demon and rescue Dean before he goes to hell."

Dean took a deep breath. "Don't get me wrong, I'm all for stopping me from becoming a hell-hound's chew toy and going to the rack, but how exactly are we going to do that?"

"Minor details Mr. Winchester," the Doctor said with smooth authority.

"Dean's death isn't a set point in time, then?" Amy asked.

Cas snorted and answered before the Doctor could. "Have you forgotten how many times Dean has died?"

"Everyone's death is a set point in time. However, May 2nd is not supposed to be the day Dean dies. It is a date that can be changed, if we do it carefully," the Doctor explained. He looked at the others in the room. "There are fixed points through time where things must always stay the way they are. May 2nd is not one of them. This is an opportunity, a tipping point. Whatever happens that day will change future events. Create its own time line, its own reality."

Amy studied the Doctor and caught his wry expression. She smirked playfully. "You have a plan."

The Doctor's mouth curled into a smile. "No... It's a Thing; like a plan, but more spectacular."


	3. Chapter 3

In the morning, the Doctor and 2014Dean were huddled together over a table. Amy drank some tea that Chuck had nicely provided for her and watched them with a suspicious eye. When she saw 2009Dean watching them also, she cautiously approached him. "What do you think that's about?"

Dean's eyes narrowed. "I was wondering the same thing." He shifted his shoulders uncomfortably. "If I know me, and I do, I'd think he was trying to convince your friend that he's me. That way he goes back and I'm stuck here."

Amy shook her head. "No, the Doctor can tell you apart, hell, I can tell you apart," she said looking at him. Before Amy could say more, the Doctor called Dean over.

"Dean, Dean and I were talking," the Doctor indicated that Dean should sit with them, "and we think you two should switch jackets."

The Dean from 2009 didn't like the idea. It practically confirmed that his older self was trying to trade places with him. "Why?"

2014Dean read his distrustful expression. "Because Zack is one self-absorbed douche-bag. If he returns before you guys set things right, I might be able to confuse him a little."

Dean thought about it for a second. "Sounds reasonable." He patted his pockets to make sure they were empty, and then exchanged the jacket for the one his other version was wearing. He immediately felt the weight in one pocket, but the expression on his 2014 face told him it was meant to be there.

**#*#*#*#*#**

After the Doctor reviewed his plan for Amy and 2009Dean, Dean rubbed his forehead and said, "Okay, let me get this straight. We're going to 2009, we're going to pick up Sam and Cas; next we're going back to 2008 to see Chuck and then we're going to May 2nd."

The Doctor ticked off the itinerary on his fingers as Dean spoke. "That about sums it up, yes."

"Sounds like a cake walk." Dean rolled his eyes. "What happens if Zach shows up here while we're gone?"

The Doctor shrugged, "Don't care. We won't be here to find out." He saw Dean look around the camp at the people he was leaving there and knew he needed to say more. "Dean, this Zachariah isn't the first angel I've dealt with. By the time he comes back here to fetch you, we should have everything sorted and he won't need to come here."

Dean nodded, though he still looked confused. "Right. Because it's a 'timey whimey ball' of whatever."

The Doctor grinned. "Now you're getting it!"

* * *

Amy, the Doctor and Dean left the camp and crossed the field to bright blue police box that made Dean wonder how he hadn't noticed it earlier.

"Wait! That's your time machine?" Dean asked in astonishment at the rather small call box.

"This, Mr. Winchester, is the TARDIS," the Doctor corrected with affection for the device evident in his tone.

"I was hoping for something a little more DeLoeran and a lot less Bill and Ted," Dean mumbled upon seeing exactly how small TARDIS appeared.

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

"Nothing. Just, tight quarters is all." He gave the blue box a once over. "This is crazy." He dragged a hand over his head. He hadn't thought the plan could work, but to learn that the plan came from two people who lived in a phone booth was a little too much.

Amy seemed to sense what Dean was feeling. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It takes some getting used to. When I first met him, I was a little girl and I thought he was my imaginary friend."

"I am not imaginary, I'm a mad man with a box," the Doctor replied, looking the tiniest bit confused and insulted, but Amy stepped up to the defense first.

Gently rubbing her hand along the side of the TARDIS, Amy said, "You may not think she's as nice as your baby, but wait 'til you get a load of the inside."

Dean cocked a brow muttering, "It'll be damn cozy."

The Doctor unlocked the door and held it open for his guest. "Come on, everybody in."

Dean took his first step inside. "Holy..." his voice filled with awe, "How the hell?" He looked around nearly stumbling down the steps. "It's – it's a hell of a lot bigger on the inside."

The Doctor grinned and turned to Amy. "I love it when they say that."

"I know."

"How is this possible?" Dean asked the Doctor.

"How is anything possible? It just is," he replied. The Doctor nearly skipped to the control panel. "Now, Mr. Winchester, if I could have your phone for a moment."

* * *

**Garber, Oklahoma 2009**

Sam Winchester thought himself lucky that Lindsey hadn't called the police. He wasn't exactly welcome back at the diner, but since he had saved her life, Lindsey was giving him time to leave town. He had hoped Dean would have had more of a reaction to learning that his baby brother was Lucifer's vessel, but Dean wanted to keep his distance - "separate hemispheres" if possible.

Well, Sam thought, if Dean was going to do nothing about Lucifer, then he would. Not knowing where to start, Sam found himself looking through the Gideon Bible left in the bedside drawer. He had just finished the first chapter of _Revelations_ when there was a knock at his door. "Candy-gram," a voice announced.

Sam drew his gun and silently made his way to the door.

"Land shark."

At the greeting, Sam peeked through the peep hole shocked to see Dean with a girl on the other side.

"Dean?" Sam asked opening the door, gaping at his brother and the giggling girl holding his hand.

"Dude, grab your stuff. We're out of here," Dean ordered.

Sam, though, didn't stop gaping. "Dean, how'd you...? Weren't you just in Kansas?" He did begin to pack his few belongings.

Amy tugged on Dean's sleeve and cleared her throat to remind him of her presence. "Yeah, long story. But more importantly, Sam this is Amy, Amy, my brother Sam."

Amy shook Sam's hand. "Well, I must say, Chuck was much more accurate with your description. You are indeed ginormous," Amy said making Dean laugh.

Sam huffed and his actions halted. "Chuck? Dean, what is going on?"

"Sammy, Amy and her friend are going to help us stop the apocalypse. Now, get the lead out. We still have to pick up Cas."

Sam threw his brother irritated glances but kept packing.

"I think your brother is being vague on purpose, Sam, but he's not lying. My friend - the Doctor and I are going to help you sort all this mess."

**#*#*#*#*#**

In the parking lot, Sam immediately looked for the Impala, though he found himself following Dean to what looked like a police call box from England. "Dean? Where's the car?"

"Sammy, where we're going we don't need wheels."

Just as Sam was sure his brother had gone completely insane, Amy opened the door to the TARDIS. Dean grinned at the awed expression on his brother's face. "You were thinking Keanu and that little blonde guy were inside, right? Dude, this thing even has a swimming pool."

Sam gaped like a fish on dry land for a minute before he managed to utter, "How?"

Completely ignoring his question, the Doctor, rubbing his hands together, said cheerfully, "Good, everyone's here. Nice to meet you, Mr. Winchester the younger. Everybody strap in, we're off to snatch ourselves an angel."

Seeing his brother's question, Dean said, "The Doctor used my cell phone to find your coordinates. He did the same thing to find Cas." Though he was still awestruck, Sam nodded his understanding.

"I don't understand why you are so sure he will still be there," Amy said. "It's the middle of the night. It makes sense that Sam would be at his hotel, but why would Cas still be on the side of a road?"

Dean shrugged, "You don't know Cas." He saw Amy about to argue that she had indeed met Cas, so he added, "You know hippy Cas. This Cas, totally different."

"Hippy Cas?" Sam asked.

Dean looked at brother. "Zach 'angel-ed' me back to the future. It wasn't good, man."

Sam nodded again and looked around. "And this? All this? You realize you are going to have to tell me what's going on, right?"

Dean ceded the answering of that question to Amy. The girl looked from one brother to the other and suddenly didn't look as confident as she had a moment earlier. "Well, you know those books?" she asked in a quiet voice. Sam's brow wrinkled as if he didn't know which books she meant. "I didn't like how they ended. So, the Doctor and I are changing it."

Sam looked at his brother. "Seriously? One of Chuck's fans is going to stop the apocalypse?"

Amy, the Doctor, and even Dean looked insulted at the insinuation that they lacked the ability to set right what had so far been impossible for the Winchesters.

"Do you even see what is all around you?" Amy demanded. "You're in a police call box that can travel through time and space! It's infinitely bigger on the inside than is possible from the outside. And you actually think we can't sort your silly apocalypse mess?"

Sam shuffled back, stunned by Amy's outburst. "Sorry," Sam said meekly. "I'm just, uh, surprised? I guess. I mean, you're not angels or demons. What are you guys?"

Amy fixed him with a glare. "I'm not a _what_. I'm a girl, from Leadworth."

"And I am a Time Lord from Gallifrey," the Doctor said with a slight bow from his place at the controls.

Sam looked both duly reprimanded and shocked, but Dean clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, their plan sounds pretty good." Sam took a deep breath and Dean knew he was beginning to relax. "Come on, Sammy, look how freakin' cool this stuff is."

"It's definitely awesome." Sam smiled weakly. "So, what is the plan?"

"First, we need to get Cas."

* * *

Castiel stood on the side of the road, in the dark, and waited. Dean had said he needed rest and that he shouldn't be bothered, so the angel patiently waited for the first signs of dawn. But, instead of birds chirping he heard a strange whirring sound. He cocked his head with mild curiosity as a TARDIS landed a few feet from him.

A moment later, the doors opened and Dean Winchester reached out, grabbed the lapels of Castiel's trench coat and pulled the angel aboard.

The angel didn't register his surprise the same way the Winchesters had. "This is most unexpected." He nodded to Sam. "Sam, it's good to see you."

"Yeah, you too, Cas."

Amy looked Castiel over from the relative safety of the Doctor's side. "He still doesn't look much like an angel."

"Oh, Castiel is very much an angel, Miss Pond," the Doctor assured her.

Dean coughed, "Uh, Cas, this is Amy and -"

"A Gallifreyan," Castiel finished for him and bowed his head slightly.

The Doctor smiled wryly and quirked his brow. "Angel," he said with a slight bow.

"This is an honor, sir, but may I ask why are you interfering with this course of events?" Castiel asked with his usual lack of emotion.

"Why wouldn't he want to stop the apocalypse?" Dean asked.

The angel turned to Dean. "I'm not asking why he wouldn't; I'm asking if he should." Castiel faced the Doctor. "Is this something you should change? Wouldn't it be more beneficial if the Winchesters found their own way?"

"'Find their own way'?" the Doctor asked in a voice tinged with anger. "When angels like you are playing with his time line, sending him to _set_ points in time, to things he cannot change, you call that 'finding his own way'? Sending him into a future so bleak he'll give in and say 'yes' to Michael? Is that' finding his own way'? Would you rather I let this planet die?"

Castiel gave no response.

"Dean," the Doctor whirled about to face the hunter, "would you like me to stop you from going to hell?"

"Yes."

"There. He found his own way, happy?" the Doctor demanded of the angel.

"No, but I find your answer is sufficient," Castiel replied. Then he asked Dean, "You went into the future?"

"Zachariah zapped me to 2014 so I could see what happens if I keep saying 'no' to Michael."

"What happens?" Sam asked.

"You don't want to know," Dean replied.

The Doctor seemed to have lost some of his ire as he turned to Sam. "Dean's right, Sam, you don't want to know about _that_ future. But, what Zachariah didn't count on was a time lord and his charming companion dropping in on his little game. We've decided to change the rules and move some game pieces ourselves."

Hoping that some of the tension had left the room, Amy asked, "What's next Doctor?"

The Doctor stared at her a minute as he let his temper cool. "Next," he muttered to himself as he thought. "Yes, next." He returned to his control panel and spun a dial. "Time can be rewritten; however, you must choose the correct point in time."

"Midnight, May 2, 2008," Amy reminded him.

Sam sucked in a breath and looked at Dean. "When you go to hell? Dean, I don't think I can watch that again."

"You won't have to Sam," the Doctor assured him. "Castiel, I need you to help me locate the day Chuck Shurley pens that event."

"Of course."

As Castiel stepped onto the control platform, Amy cautiously backed away. However, the Doctor spoke to her, "Amy, Castiel will not harm you, I promise."

"Sorry, just, you know, angel and all."

Castiel did his best to look at her compassionately. "I assure you, I am not like my brethren."

Amy nodded, but didn't look too convinced. "Oh, I'm sure you're not. You're not made of stone after all."

"You've met the weeping angels and survived." It wasn't a question and the angel's expression changed slightly. "Very impressive."

The Doctor smiled to himself as Amy said, "Well, they were no match for the Doctor."

"Of course they weren't. They were foolish to attempt an offensive maneuver against someone with his vast knowledge."

"Weeping angels?" Sam asked as his curiosity got the best of him.

"The weeping angels are fierce warriors," Castiel began.

"The deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life form evolution has ever produced," the Doctor added.

Sam and Dean exchanged slightly concerned looks. "With the way we've been pissing off angels, what are the chances they'll be sending those after us next?" Dean asked.

Before the Doctor could answer, Sam asked, "Yeah. How do we stop them?"

"Run, keep running and don't blink," Amy said.

The Doctor found her answer amusing, but felt he should reassure them. "Winchesters, if the all goes as planned, there will be no need to send other angels, weeping or not, after you."

"Miss Pond, I apologize for my brethren. They are very isolated from the rest of the heavenly host. They have little memory of their true grace," Castiel said in what he hoped was a sympathetic tone. Turning to the doctor he said, "January 24th, 2008. That is the day the prophet wrote those pages."

Sam approached the Doctor and said, "Excuse me, but what exactly is your plan? Chuck can't just write whatever he wants. Isn't he supposed to have divine inspiration?"

"Right you are Mr. Winchester and he shall have it," The Doctor said with a sly grin. "Your friend, Castiel and my friend, Amy are going to inspire him to rewrite history. Then of course, we have to do that actual re-enacting of history."

"Okay, but how exactly?" Sam asked.

"Cas and Amy are going to Chuck's place and Cas will prove he's an angel. Amy's going to tell him what to write and then Cas is going to zap us to the big day," Dean replied.

"Well, when you say it like that it sounds easy," the Doctor said with a touch of disappointment that the task before him might be considered simple.

Sam looked with amazement. "It sounds impossible."

* * *

**5pm January 24, 2008 Kripke's Hollow**

Chuck paced the length of his house. He nearly had the entire story. Sam and Dean were just leaving Bobby Singer's Salvage yard on their way to meet Dean's destiny when... when what? Chuck's mind went blank. He couldn't remember what was supposed to happen next. Was he really going to allow Dean to go to hell?

He poured himself a glass of whiskey and took a large sip.

Damn.

Still nothing. This writer's block was killing him. He took another lap of his house before returning to his desk. Among the clutter, he spotted a newspaper advertisement for Miss Magda. "Hm, a little female inspiration might be what the doctor ordered," he thought to himself as he placed a call.

Only a few minutes later, there was a knock on his door.

"Whoa," Chuck said upon opening his door to find Amy standing there. "The agency got the description wrong, but you are so much better than what they usually send." Then he noticed Castiel. "Uh, I'm sorry, who are you? I only requested a female 'escort'; I wasn't looking to get any more adventurous than that."

Castiel narrowed his brows.

"I know my credit card was good, so if you're trying to collect or something..."

"I don't know to what you are referring," the angel finally said.

Chuck stared at them for a moment. Then, rushed to cover his obvious mistake. "Right. Well, whatever you're selling I don't want, I gave at the office, and I don't need a copy of _The Watchtower_." He attempted to shut the door in their faces.

Amy's brows wrinkled in confusion and she held out a hand to keep the door open. "We are here to help you with your book," she replied, looking around him into the house.

"My book? I don't need any help with my book."

"Yes, you do," Castiel said, moving around the prophet and entering the house.

Amy followed and looked around in disgust. "It's no wonder you need help, Chuck, look at this place, it's in shambles."

"I'm sorry. What is happening here? Who are you people? Why are you in my house?"

Amy took a deep breath. "I'm Amy. He's an angel. And we're here to tell you what to write."

Chuck burst out laughing. "An angel?" After a minute, he noticed that he was the only one laughing. "Oh come on! You expect me to believe you're angel? Not just any angel, but the angel of writer's block? Seriously, who sent you? Was it Sera? I bet it was Phil. Look, tell them the book will be finished next week."

Amy shoved some clutter aside and hopped up on the corner of Chuck's desk. "You see, that's where you're wrong, Chuck. The book will be finished tonight."

Chuck huffed in exasperation. Maybe he'd write if they weren't bothering him. Why was he allowing these people in his house, anyway?

"How about this?" Chuck suggested diplomatically as he made his way toward his door. "I'll write, if you leave."

"Sorry, can't do that," Amy replied. "Of course, you could come with us."

Chuck scoffed, "Yeah, I don't think so." He opened his front door in an invitation for them to leave. "Now, if you'll just be on your way."

Amy looked at Castiel. "Looks like you're going to have to show 'im, eh?"

"Yes," Castiel said calmly. He took a few steps away from Amy. "Chuck Shurley, I am an angel of the Lord. And you need to listen to what Miss Pond has to tell you."

Chuck humored him with a nod. "Right, so you've said, you're an angel."

A wind rushed through the room scattering papers everywhere. The lights in Chuck's living room popped and there was a loud rustling as Castiel's wings opened.

Hiding her shock believably well, Amy crossed her arms and hoped she appeared as if she saw the angel's wings on a regular basis.

Chuck slammed shut his door. "Oh God."

"Told you he was an angel." Amy sounded much more confident than she felt.

"An angel...an actual angel is in my house," Chuck stammered. "Oh god, I need a drink." He polished off the whiskey in his glass, poured himself a fresh one and downed most of it in one gulp.

Amy took the tumbler from his hand. "You might want to lay off of the alcohol for a bit."

"If he's an angel, what are you?"

Amy fluttered her lashes. "I'm your muse. So, I think it best if you listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you."

#*#*#*#*#

Aboard the TARDIS the Doctor paced. "I don't like this. This is taking too long."

"They've only been gone twenty minutes, Doc. You've got to give them a chance to convince Chuck that Cas is an angel and that he needs listen to Amy," Dean said.

"Yes, yes, of course, but you don't know Amy like I know Amy. She's a bit of a rabble rouser."

Sam and Dean exchanged amused looks. Even in the short time they knew her, it was blatantly obvious that Amy did whatever she pleased and nothing was going to stand in her way.

"Not only does she have to convince Chuck to listen to her, she has to concoct the story, doesn't she?" Sam asked. "Well, I'm sure that will take a while."

Dean began to rub his chin, a nervous habit which Sam immediately recognized. "Dean, what's wrong?"

Dean stared at his brother for a minute. "I was wondering what kind of fan-girl Amy is," he said quietly. "Remember Becky?" he asked with a shudder.

Sam closed his eyes. "She can't do anything too weird," Sam replied hoping to sound reassuring. "I mean the book has to be publishable, right?"

* * *

Back in Kripke's Hollow, Amy was having her own difficulties. She knew what she wanted to happen, but she didn't know how to tell that story. Now, it was her turn to pace the length of Chuck's house.

As Chuck watched her clumping about in her boots, he became increasingly worried. "Oh no, don't tell me my muse has got writer's block! That can't happen, can it?" he asked Castiel.

Castiel was also fixated on the girl pacing the house. "Miss Pond, is there a problem?"

She glared at him in exasperation. "Of course there's a problem." She faced Chuck. "I know the story, but not how to tell it."

"Well, I can -"

"What if I show you what happens and you write it all down?"

Not knowing how to answer such a crazy idea, Chuck said, "Sure, that would work. But how are you going to do that?

"Grab your laptop," Amy said before addressing the angel. "Cas, if you would be so kind as to take us to the TARDIS, please."

#*#*#*#*#

"Doctor!" Amy called as she rapped on the door of the TARDIS.

Chuck wobbled, unsteady on his feet as they 'landed'. "What just happened? What is this?" he asked quietly, not really caring if he got an answer since this day couldn't get much stranger.

"This is a TARDIS," Amy answered as if it would clarify everything to the writer.

"It is a Time and Relative Dimension in Space vehicle," Castiel replied, making Chuck even more confused.

However, that confusion was magnified to new heights when the Doctor opened the door. "Oh, hello, Mr. Shurley. I wasn't expecting to see you." He looked at Amy for an explanation.

The girl shrugged. "I thought it would be easier to show him rather than tell him."

"Yes, well, he's here now," the Doctor stepped aside to allow them to enter.

The prophet gaped at his hosts and his surroundings. _Okay_ , he thought, _I'm dead. That's the only logical explanation for any of this. Or I've gone crazy. All good writers are a little off their rockers, why would I be any different?_

"Hey, Chuck, how's it going?" Dean asked as his way of greeting him.

"Fine," he answered in a tremor which belied his fright.

"You sure, man?" Dean asked when he noticed the writer's trepidation.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," he stammered, wondering who these people were. _Maybe this is all a dream. That moo shu pork did smell a little off. That must be it. I'm dying of food poisoning on my kitchen floor._

Sam didn't think Chuck looked well at all. "Chuck, buddy, maybe you should sit down."

"Okay." He allowed Sam to lead him to a chair. Once he sat he asked, "Who are you guys? How do you know my name?"

"Chuck, it's us, Sam and Dean," Sam said, throwing a worried look at his brother.

"Yeah, Chuck, come on, you know us, the Winchesters. He's Sam, I'm Dean, you're Chuck, you write about our lives... Any of this ringing a bell?"

"Winchesters?" Chuck squeaked.

"Doc, what's wrong with him?" Dean asked.

The Doctor scanned him with his screwdriver. "Nothing appears to be wrong, medically speaking." He looked closely at the prophet. "Oh, of course, he hasn't met you, yet. This is earlier in his time line than when he met you before."

Sam and Dean exchanged looks that said they should have realized that and turned to the befuddled prophet. Sam put a hand on his chest. "Chuck, I'm Sam Winchester. The same Sam Winchester that you write about and this is my brother, Dean."

"This can't be happening," Chuck whined.

"Well it is. You've been writing about our lives. All that crap you think up; actually happens to us," Dean explained.

"Our mom died in a fire caused by the yellow-eyed demon on the night I turned six months old," Sam said.

"Sammy died at Cold Oak and I made a deal with a crossroads demon to bring him back. This sound familiar?" Dean asked.

Chuck nodded solemnly, and then let his head fall into his hands. "Oh god, I am going crazy."

"I assure you, Chuck, you are in full control of your mental faculties," Castiel said.

Chuck looked at the angel for a moment as he tried to believe his current situation. He took a deep breath and turned to Dean. "Lilith is going to have her hell-hounds attack you and," he stopped speaking as his stomach began to churn. "Oh god."

Amy put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, well, we've decided we're not going to let that happen."

"Okay," Chuck replied with an unnaturally high voice. "But I don't control what I write. I get these visions," he said, looking at the others.

"We know," Amy replied. "We're going to give you a new vision."

"Amy! You're brilliant!" the Doctor said in awe as a new plan formed in his head. "If we take Chuck with us, his angel will be forced to arrive to destroy Lilith!" He turned to the angel. "Castiel, can you manage to bring Chuck with us as well?"

Amy interrupted before the angel could answer, "If Chuck's going, I'm going too!"

The Doctor looked concerned. "No, Amy, I can't let you do that. It's far too -"

"Dangerous? Doctor, you and me have faced death plenty of times. I don't see how this is any different."

"Yes, Amy, but-"

"Amy, look, I know you have him wrapped around your finger," Dean said pointing to the Doctor. "But, we are not taking you with us."

Amy scowled and turned to the Doctor. "Would you please tell Mr. Smartypants-Winchester that I've faced my share of danger and I can handle myself?"

"Yes, well, Amy -"

"I'm sorry, Amy, but Dean's right," Sam interrupted "You're not coming with us. There's going to be dozens of demons, not just Lilith. We won't be able to protect you."

"I don't need your protecting. I already told you I can handle -"

"Right," Dean said taking her hand and looking her in the eye, "I know. You can handle death and danger with the best of them and probably better than most of them. But Amy, we're trying to save the world here, not just me."

"I know and I can help."

"You're right, you can. Let us save you first. Stay here. Be here when we get back. Otherwise all this is for nothing," Dean said softly as he stared intently into her eyes, hoping his charm would be enough to persuade her.

For a moment, Amy thought she might relent from the intensity of his gaze. She shook off that feeling and said, "Laying it on a bit thick, aren't you?" earning a smirk from Sam. "Fine, you win," she huffed in annoyance. "I'll stay behind, but, then Chuck should, too."

"You heard her, Chuck stays behind, too," Dean announced.

"Dean, we could really use that archangel that's tethered to him," Sam quietly reminded him.

"Cas has got wings enough for Lilith. Plus, there will be two of us and the Doctor." He smirked at his brother. "It already reeks of overkill."

"I'm good with staying behind," Chuck said eagerly.

The Doctor studied them for a moment. "Yes, very good. You both stay. Watch the action on the screen and write the parts that inspire you."

* * *

**New Harmony, Indiana – Fremont house 11:58pm May 2, 2008**

Dean, Sam, and Ruby led Mrs. Fremont and her no longer possessed daughter, into the basement. Sam turned to Ruby, "What can I do to save Dean?"

"It's too late," the demon replied. "I needed time."

"Sam, stop," Dean pleaded.

"Dean, I'm not going to let you go to hell!"

"Yes, you are." Before Sam could argue more, Dean said, "Keep fighting. Take care of my wheels. Sam, remember what dad taught you... okay?"

Sam nodded.

"Remember what I taught you."

The grandfather clock began to strike midnight and Dean could hear the growling of hell hounds.

Ruby gave Dean a mournful look. "I'm sorry, Dean. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."

But over the clock striking and over the hounds snarling, another sound was heard, a whirring sound. Ruby looked around for the source, "What the -?"

Before she got an answer, Dean looked toward the dining room. "Hell hound."

Together, they raced to the den and shut the door. Dean poured the goofer dust across the threshold. Then, he rushed to the window to do the same.

Sam held Ruby's knife at the ready, but the demon held out her hand for it. "Sam, give me the knife. I can hold them off, buy us some time."

* * *

With Castiel's assistance, the Doctor landed the TARDIS in the Fremont's living room. Before opening the door, he turned to the others. "Remember, whatever happens in there will change future events. The future pivots around you, here, now. So do good."

The Doctor silently opened the door and led the way. He was followed by Dean and Sam with their guns drawn and finally Castiel. The Doctor flashed his sonic and outlines of the hell-hounds became visible. "Hell hounds. There and there."

Sam and Dean took aim and fired. Castiel moved around them and strode purposely down the hall to the den.

**#*#*#*#*#**

The hell hounds, barking and scraping at the door, were suddenly silenced by gun shots. Sam and Dean exchanged excited looks. "Bobby?" Dean called as he made his way to the door.

"Not so fast, Deano," Ruby flicked her hand and Dean was tossed across the room. He crashed heavily into the desk and was held there by an invisible force.

Sam was shocked and he turned to Ruby. "Ruby, what's -?"

Ruby smirked and slammed Sam into the wall knocking the knife from his hand.

"Sam, it's not Ruby, it's Lilith!" Dean yelled from the desk.

"Hi, Sam. I've been wanting to meet your for a long, long time." Her eyes turned a demonic white for a moment.

"How long have you been in her?" Dean asked.

"Not long. But I like it. It's all grown up and pretty." She swayed childlike and smiled.

"Where's Ruby? What have you done to her?" Sam demanded.

"Oh, I sent her far far away. Just like I'm going to do to big brother Dean. And just like I'm going to do to you." Her eyes went white and she raised her hand to destroy the brothers with her demon death ray.

* * *

The Doctor and Castiel raced to the den. The Doctor sonic-ed the lock and the goofer dust, rendering it powerless to stop the angel.

Castiel threw open the door and growled, "Lilith!" The demon turned to him and they met in the middle of the room. Castiel went to put his hand to her face, but Lilith was strong enough to grab his wrist and stop him.

"Sam!" Dean shouted from his place where he was pinned on the desk. "The knife!"

With the distraction caused by Castiel's arrival, Sam broke Lilith's temporary hold on him. He retrieved Ruby's knife and as he was about to drive it into Lilith's back, Castiel overpowered her. In a flash of brilliant light, Lilith was no more.

As the demon crumbled to the floor, Dean was able to stand. "Who are you?" Dean demanded of the man wearing a trench coat.

Castiel smiled fondly at Dean and then at Sam. "I am Castiel. I'm an Angel of the Lord."

Sam's mouth fell open in awe and his knees began to buckle. "An angel?" he gasped.

"Bull shit. There is no such thing," Dean growled as he moved to stand next to his brother.

Castiel shook his head and sighed, "This is your problem, Dean. You have no faith." Lightening flashed, and on Castiel's back great shadowy wings appeared, stretching off into the distance.

Duly served his comeuppance, Dean nodded, "Wh-why are you here, saving us?"

"Because you and your brother have a purpose and much more work to do."

Sam was bubbling over with gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you so much. If you need anything, we'll- well not that an angel needs our help, but if you ever do, we'll do whatever you ask."

"Sam," Dean reprimanded him. Was his brother about to make a deal with an angel, now? Dean was sure that couldn't work out well.

"You," Cas said facing Sam. "You, Sam, need to stay away from Ruby. She has only the worst intentions. She plans to raise Lucifer with your help."

Both Sam and Dean were flabbergasted. "Sam would never do that," Dean insisted.

Cas smiled gently. "I know he wouldn't. Not if he has you to make to make sure he doesn't."

The brothers exchanged looks, but the angel wasn't finished with them. "Here, take this." He presented them with an object wrapped in an old cloth.

Dean took it and unwrapped it. "The Colt? Where did you get this?"

"A friend," the angel answered. "I assure you it works as well as it did when Samuel Colt first made it."

"Thanks," Sam said, but when the brothers looked up from the gun, they found themselves alone.

* * *

Aboard the TARDIS, Chuck's fingers flew over his laptop's key. _An angel, why hadn't he thought of that? Not just any angel, but a warrior of God kind of angel, yeah, I can make him be a bad ass angel_ , Chuck thought.

Dean bumped Cas's shoulder. "I don't know why you couldn't think to do this, would have saved us a lot of trouble."

"I'm an angel, Dean, not a time lord."

Dean grinned fondly at Cas. "I remember when you said you couldn't interfere with Chuck's prophecy. What was this, if not interfering?"

The angel nearly smiled himself. "Well, Dean, that was before you taught me to question orders."

Dean clapped a hand on the angel's shoulder. "I told you it's fun being a rebel."

Amy was reading over Chuck's shoulder, until Sam stood next to her. She looked up at him and smiled questioningly, "Yeah, Sam?"

Sam gave her a small, but grateful smile. "I just wanted to say thank you."

Amy blushed, "I didn't really do anything. The Doctor and Cas did it all."

Sam shook his head. She didn't understand. "No, Amy. If you hadn't wanted to save my brother, he would have gone to hell. Seeing him ripped apart by those hell hounds...it's worse than you can imagine. But now, now, I have two sets of memories and a lot of the bad ones are fading away."

"Like a dream does when you wake up," Amy suggested.

"Yeah, like a dream," Sam agreed. "But you have no idea the change you've made. Look, I don't have scars from the ghoul attack," he pushed up the sleeves of his shirt, "I don't feel the demon blood." He smiled and looked in her eyes. "Thank you."

Feeling overwhelmed again, Amy blushed. "You're welcome." Then to her surprise, Sam hugged her, and though Amy was surprised, she eagerly returned the hug.

Dean scowled when he saw them hugging. "Hm, I thought Amy was a 'Dean-girl'," he grumbled mostly to himself.

The Doctor pouted also and muttered, "Well I thought she was a 'Doctor-girl'."

Having overheard them, Amy released Sam. "Oh stop it; I'm not anyone's girl. I'm certainly not the girl for you two blokes," she said indicating the Winchesters. "And the Doctor's far too old for me, aren't you? What are you now, 914?"

"Somewhere there abouts, yes," the Doctor muttered, looking put out.

From where he sat with his laptop, Chuck shouted, "Yes! Finished!"

"Told you you'd finish tonight," Amy reminded him, knocking him on the shoulder.

"Well, then, it's time to take you home, Mr. Shurley," the Doctor said and with a few twists of knobs and dials the TARDIS returned to January 24, 2008, Kripke's Hollow.

"Well, Chuck, take care," Sam said, shaking the writer's hand.

"Yeah, Chuck, take care of yourself," Dean repeated, also shaking Chuck's hand. However, before he let go he added, "Stop writing about our lives, or we'll come back for you."

"But I can't really help -"

"Stop publishing our lives," Sam clarified for the man. "We have guns and know how to use them."

* * *

It was far too soon that the TARDIS set down in 2009 to return the Winchesters to their proper time-line.

"Thanks for everything, Doc," Dean said, feeling nervous about what was on the other side of the TARDIS' door.

"Yeah, Doctor, Amy, we can't thank you enough," Sam added smiling at both of them.

"Well, Winchesters, it was indeed a pleasure working with both of you." The Doctor bowed slightly to them. "Castiel, good luck on your new course."

The angel nodded. "Thank you, Doctor, Miss Pond. It has been - enlightening."

Amy hugged each one, including Cas. "I'm going to miss reading about you, now that you forced Chuck to quit."

Dean shrugged. "Maybe, but if you ever get that bored, I'm sure the Doctor can find us."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Who knows, maybe Chuck will write about something else just as interesting."

* * *

The TARDIS' door opened to a beautiful sunny day. The Impala was waiting a few yards away, gleaming in the morning sun.

Sam bumped Dean's shoulder as they left. "I bet you were dying to ask him to sing the 'Lumberjack Song'."

"Me? No, not at all," Dean replied.

"Now for something completely different?"

Dean started chuckling. "Close, but I wanted: 'No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!'"

Cas looked puzzled. "No one did. Their chief weapon was surprise."

Sam and Dean looked at Cas and then doubled over in laughter.

**#*#*#*#*#**

Chuck called Sera, his Wiccan Press publisher the moment he sent her the draft of _No Rest for the Wicked_. "Sera, I'm done with the _Supernatural_ series." Before she could protest, he said, "I've come up with a whole new concept. It's about a beautiful young girl and a crazy guy in a bow-tie and they travel through time and space in one of those British phone booths."


End file.
